Skæbnens Hjorte
by PolandisAmazing
Summary: A Viking!Fantasy!AU. Kasper and his older brother Ragnor were always told myths about destiny by their father. What happens when they pursue the stories, the fairytales? Rated T for mild violence and DenNor & SuFin makeout scenes coming later.
1. Destiny

**Kasper-Denmark**

**Mikkel-Norway**

**Ragnar-Sweden**

**Joel-Finland**

**Petur "Baldur"-Iceland**

**Sorry, I felt the need to give them new names, BUT I will put them at the start of every chapter for reference if you get confused.**

Kasper had always romanticized the thought of fairytales and myths. One myth that he had been obsessed with since he had been a young child was that of "_Skæbnens hjorte_" or Destiny's deer.

The myth told of an elegant white deer, with antlers that stretched out like graceful tree limbs. If you followed the deer, it would lead you to your destiny.

Kasper's _far_ had told stories of 'almost' finding his destiny to Kasper and his older _bror_, Ragnar. He said 'almost' because almost directly after that encounter, _far_ had met their _mor_ and taken her as his bride. Of course, she had died when Kasper and Ragnor were much too young to remember her due to illness, but their _far_ was convinced he had found he destiny.

Now that Kasper was older, 19 in fact, a few months behind Ragnor, he certainly had more responsibilities. Considering he and Ragnor were alone in the world now, due to the premature passing of their _far_, he had to go out and hunt. Luckily, most of the responsibilities had been taken by Ragnor, citing age.

It was one of these hunting trips that Kasper had spotted what he swore was the deer described in the myth. That had ending that trip, and instead he began stalking the deer through deep December snow.

Kasper was currently hidden behind a tree in knee deep snow, his _knifr _at the ready. If it wasn't the deer he had been searching for all his life, it would certainly provide dinner for a few days, and allow his wet furs to dry a bit better. He noted that the snow was much thinner in the clearing where the deer currently stood, thinking it must be due to animals trampling freely through the snow with the trees to block their path.

He grumbled as the deer began grazing, shaking his head. This was not the _Skæbnens hjorte_. As he went to move towards the deer for a kill, a noise on the opposite side of the clearing scared it off. Kasper looked in the direction of that noise and for a split second, he swore he saw a little boy, but he was gone as quickly as he had appeared.

**And…That's the end of chapter 1. I know it short but it was simply an introduction to the characters…of sorts. I promise a huge length increase for future chapters, as we get into the adventure, the action, the romance, and the adorableness. Until then, thoughts? Opinions? Correcting my google translated Danish?**


	2. Friend or Foe

**Kasper-Denmark**

**Mikkel-Norway**

**Ragnar-Sweden**

**Joel-Finland**

**Petur "Baldur"-Iceland**

**Alright, so here is the chapter where things get significantly more interesting.**

Kasper had decided that it might be best for him to head home with his kills for the day. "_I must not be getting enough sleep lately…_" he sighed through his noise as he treaded over towards the rabbits that were to be dinner, picking them up by their lifeless legs and trotting back the way he came through the shallower snow.

He entered the nice, warm cottage he shared with his _bror_[1], immediately shedding his wet outer furs and setting the rabbits on the table. "Ragnar! Are you here?" He huffed, looking around their small cottage. He never understood how that man could hide, what with the cottage only being 3 rooms plus an attic that neither of the two teens could really go in.

He sat on the floor near the warm fire Ragnar had going, setting his furs nearby so they would dry quicker. "I caught 7 rabbits today, and I would very much like to eat, so if you wouldn't mind showing your face…"

He jumped as the man he was looking for snuck up behind him and patted him roughly on the head, before moving towards the rabbits. "Very social greeting as usual, Ragnar…" he received a grunt in response and rolled his eyes.

He huffed, turning towards his _bror_ without getting up. He wanted to tell him about the sighting of that deer and the little boy he saw for a brief moment, but he couldn't figure out how to bring it up. He knew that Ragnar considered the myth to be a foolish child's story that wasn't possibly true. Kasper thought Ragnar was simply too grown up.

He puffed out his cheeks, staring at a corner of the room as he did. His nostrils flared as he thought about the possible ways to bring up the adventure without making Ragnar laugh and brush it off as _too much_ fresh air, which Kasper refused to believe was possible. Eventually, he settled on simply telling him what happened, verbatim.

"Ragnar, something intriguing happened while I was out hunting-" Kasper frowned when his statement went unheard. He tried again, this time, much more whiney, "Ragnaaaaaaaar. I want to tell you about it! Please, _bror_? At least acknowledge you're listening!" He huffed when the other didn't even look up. Still skinning rabbits without a care in the world, it seemed.

For a brief moment, Kasper considered walking over and simply dragging Ragnar away from the rabbits, but he knew if he did he would more than likely be sliced by the knife. That, however, did give him another idea. Annoy Ragnar until he listened.

"Ragnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaar," he whined, grinning as he did. "Ragnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar. Ragnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-" He stopped when the other looked up from the cutting board with a death glare on his face.

"What. What in Nastrand[2] could you _possibly_ want while I am trying to cook?" There was a not-so-subtle undertone of anger in his voice and that made Kasper's grin grow ever more.

"Well, I _wanted_ to tell you about the experience I had while I was out~!" The grin that was so obvious on his face seeped into his voice as he spoke and Ragnar rolled his eyes.

"Well then, you could have told me before all of that annoying, unnecessary whining. You are 19, it's time you start acting like it," Ragnar shook his head, going back to preparing dinner, although he was still listening to Kasper.

Kasper huffed in annoyance. "You act like age dictates maturity! But, anyway, while I was out hunting, I saw a deer!" he saw the look of boredom on Ragnar's face before continuing, "It was that deer! The deer _far_ always told us about! At least, I think it might have been, although it stopped going anywhere so I thought it wasn't and I was going to kill it for dinner—but then, something scared it off! And then, when I looked up to find the source of the noise, I saw a little boy! He left really quickly so I don't remember exactly what he looked like- He hair looked sort of off white and-" Kasper stopped when Ragnar set down his knife and looked up at Kasper with an annoyed expression that was growing by the second.

"Kasper, for the love of Frey[3], you are not seriously trying to tell me you think a little boy who may or may not even be real is the key to your destiny. Please tell me you are not seriously telling me this," He grumbled when the look of hurt spread over Kasper's face, signifying that yes, he was indeed serious.

Ragnar sighed, looking towards the other and pushing his bangs out of his face. "I'm guessing you want to go back and check it out, then?" He sighed again as his younger brother nodded, already pulling on his furs while running to his room to grab his axe.

Ragnar raised an eyebrow. "Expecting trouble?" He grumbled when Kasper didn't answer, having managed to fall flat on his face axe in hand. For a second, Ragnar was worried, at least until Kasper stood up and went bounding out the door, Ragnar in step behind, much less peppy as he pulled on his furs and grabbed his own axe.

Kasper led the way to the clearing, scaring away all the possible kills with his loud talk of his experience for the second time. Ragnar grumbled, running into Kasper. He was stopped, staring straight at a brown bear that stood in the way of their path.

The bear spotted them and without meaning to, both Kasper and Ragnar tighten their grip on their axes. The bear must have sensed their fear, for it reared up on its hind legs and growled ferociously. Kasper tugged Ragnar off in a random direction, swearing that as he went he saw the same deer as earlier.

They both heard the bear's angry growl from behind them as the stumbled through tree roots and deep snow into the clearing where Kasper had been earlier. He blinked and a look of fear crossed his face as the bear came into the clearing.

Both Ragnar and he held their axes in front of themselves. Ragnar's face was much calmer than Kasper's as the bear charged them. It got to Kasper first and knocked him into the ground hard enough to knock him unconscious.

The next thing Kasper knew, he was lying on a floor in very soft fur. He groaned as his senses came back to life and he became aware of how much pain a bear mauling could put a man in. As he sat up, he noticed bandages on his arms and legs and one covering his head. He winced, holding his forehead as he gazed around.

The house he appeared to be in looked to be very shabby, with very little inside. He saw a fire pit with a pot hanging over it, clearing designed to be the place for cooking. Where he was seemed to be a sleeping area, a soft fur spread out over an area large enough for 3 adults, but that seemed to be the only place to sleep. There was a table by a covered window with a few papers stacked on it and a crate to sit on. The only other things in the room were furs and children's toys.

He gasped, looking around for Ragnar, calming when he saw his older _bror_ lying next to him on the carpet, with his shirt removed and bandages wrapped all the way up his torso, on his shoulders, down his arms, and then loosely on his legs. Kasper frowned, but then moved onto his next thought. _Where were they at?_

Kasper got up with some difficulty do to pain to walk around the shack. He noticed a few little details, like a bow in the corner, and some runes written down on the papers on the table. There was a cloak carelessly strewn over the crate and the door they supposedly led out of the shack was cracked. It was at that moment he heard Ragnar groan in pain and looked over to see him sitting up, rubbing at his chest before taking in their surrounds and looking to Kasper, who shrugged.

Kasper peered out of the door, crouched down in a defensive position. He didn't know what they were dealing with, and it never hurt to be too careful. He saw the little boy that had gotten them in this situation through the crack, and he appeared to be talking to someone out of sight. Kasper struggled to understand the conversation, but the language was so odd and different.

He nudged the door open a little bit to get a better view as Ragnar came up behind him. It didn't even look like they were in the same time period anymore. There was no snow on the ground, trees reached up, seemingly touching the sky and clouds. They could see a huge ash tree in the center, almost as if it was Yggdrasil[4]. Light shone through the branches of the trees and it seemed weird, as if they were in a different world. The ground was covered in soft, green grass, tall enough that it brushed your ankles. Patches of bright flowers could be seen and there was a glistering lake directly in front of them, fed by a stream that came down a hill. One could hear a light buzzing, almost like bees but as if they were…singing?

Kasper blinked, looking of to Ragnar for his opinion on what they should do about the situation. Ragnar shrugged lightly, peering out over Kasper's head. The little boy looked over, seeing Kasper and Ragnar, who both went white. They weren't expecting to be spotted.

The boy motioned to someone or something that they couldn't see and walked toward the lake, sitting down at the bank, an entertained look on his face. Both brothers heard the noise of the branch of a tree moving as someone stood up on it. Kasper stiffened as Ragnar narrowed his eyes.

A teenager, maybe a year younger than they were, jumped down gracefully from the tree. He stood maybe 7 feet back, a bow in hand with an arrow drawn. He was pale, with light blonde hair that cascaded, covering his eyes except for a natural slit in his hair where his left eye could look through. He had a curl of hair that stuck out on the right side of his hair and piercing purple eyes, both fierce and fearful. He was wearing thin furs, a cloak draped over his shoulders, and cloth wrapped around his otherwise bare feet.

"_Venn eller fiende_[5]?!" the teen yelled, fierce anger mixing with fear. It seemed to the two that the little boy had seen this before, the saving of strangers and then the encounter with this teen.

Ragnar and Kasper were able to translate what the younger teen had said, or at least they hoped they had. Ragnar stood up straighter, taking a deep breath before answering "_vän_[6]" hoping the meaning was heard and understood.

The teen put down the bow, his eyes glazed over in suspicion. Kasper noticed the small boy get up at a twitch of the elder's fingers and he came to stand behind him. '_Brors_ _by the look of it…_' Kasper thought idly.

"_Hvem er du_?" The teen's eyes narrowed even more as the _brors_ came out of the house, no longer sensing a threat.

** That's the chapter! How was it? Translation fixes and reviews are gladly accepted!**

**[1]-Brother**

**[2]-Norse Mythology's version of Hell from what I can tell.**

**[3]-This was a favored god by Swedes, who regarded him as the god of kingship.**

**[4]-This is a large ash tree that separates the nine(?) worlds of Norse Mythology.**

**[5]-"Friend or foe?!"-Norwegian**

**[6]-Friend-Swedish**


End file.
